The blog formerly known as Holistic Learning ... Enki and Waldorf Homeschooling

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Grade 4, Spring Term, Beowulf Week 1, Day 2 ~ Carschooling

Something unexpected came up today, so the boys and I spent 3 hours in the car today driving to and from Redondo Beach. I didn't want to miss a day of learning or shift it to the afternoon when I knew we'd be wiped out from the drive, so we had a carschooling day.

Last night I looked at the two verse translations of Beowulf I had checked out from the library and decided that we would go with the Seamus Heaney translation even though Live Ed recommended the Michael Alexander version. As an English geek I was quite aware when the Heaney translation came out that it was considered the definitive version. Reading the first lines of each I just felt the Heaney more.

In the car we did oral math practice (multiplication tables) and grammar, consisting of playing fun words games with synonyms, antonyms, interjections, homonyms, and homophones. The boys did some silent reading and we listened to the first CD from the Heaney Beowulf. Wow. I sampled it last night but listening today it was so accessible, gripping, and well, alliterative.

Back home J-Baby pulled out his Snap Circuits and also worked with an Inventions kit, while T-Guy spent more time reading. There are in their pajamas now and getting ready to play Uno, as Papa has a very sore throat and can't read them their history lesson tonight.